


A Long Forgotten Incident, A Long Remembered Feeling

by VGCKenny



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Head Injury, Hospitals, I don't know if it'll come up much tbh, Identity Reveal, Memory Loss, Past and Present, but just in case, sort of canon compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-15
Updated: 2019-11-18
Packaged: 2021-01-31 05:36:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21441079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VGCKenny/pseuds/VGCKenny
Summary: Memory is a tricky thing. Through no fault of your own, you can forget something so important. Yet you can remember it at the strangest times.Fear is a cruel thing. Once it has you in its grasps, it can hold on for a life time. You can fight it, but you need to make sure to keep yourself safe.Destiny is a magical thing. The hero inside has always been there. It's just a matter of seeing it.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Emilie Agreste/Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth, Sabine Cheng/Tom Dupain
Comments: 11
Kudos: 36





	1. Parents

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is the idea I had I mentioned earlier. My goal with this is to explain a few things that I realized don't sit right with me. It's not gong to be fully compliant with my other story, but there are some general ideas that might carry over.
> 
> Chapters are apparently going to be shorter than in my other story. I wanted to write one page now because I am nervous about something and am having trouble sleeping, but when it came to it, one page was all I needed for the first chapter. So, maybe this'll wrap up before "Are They Worthy?". I have most of the story planned out, and it's not going to take as long.

Gabriel stormed into the hospital. He charged the front desk and slammed his hands down. “Where is my son?!” he demanded.

The receptionist was scared. This man had an icy cold stare. “Uh…wh-what’s his name?” he said.

“Adrien. Adrien Agreste” Gabriel said.

“OK. Just give me a minute” the receptionist said. He looked up the details. “Um it looks like he’s in surgery right now. It’s going to take a while.”

Gabriel sighed. “Very well.” He walked calmly but angrily and sat down.

A few minutes later, Emilie came in. “Adrien?! Where is my baby?!”

“He’s in surgery” Gabriel said. “I trust the doctors are doing everything to save him. All we can do is wait.” Emilie’s face went pale. She sat next to her husband. She clung to him, and Gabriel stroked her hair lovingly. Gabriel was imagining what he would to to the person who did this. Eventually, they both fell asleep.

A few hours later, a doctor woke them up. “Mr. and Mrs. Agreste” he said. The couple looked at him. “Follow me” the doctor said. The couple got up and followed the doctor. The doctor lead them to a room. Inside they could see Adrien, sleeping peacefully. Like nothing had happened.

“Adrien” Emilie said on the verge of tears.

“He’s doing just fine,” the doctor said. “It might take him a while to wake up. And when he does, he might have trouble remembering things. But he will make a full recovery.”

“Thank you doctor” Gabriel said.

“Don’t thank me,” he said. “Thank the teachers. They called the ambulance and took basic care for him right away. Without it, Adrien would be in a much worse place.”

“I see” Gabriel said. He looked at his wife. “Do you want to go home or stay?”

Emilie looked back at him. “You can go home if you want” she said. “I’m staying here. Until I can talk with Adrien again.”

Gabriel smiled. “Then I’ll say with you. If that’s alright…”

The doctor looked at the couple. Clearly, they were distraught. But then again, who wouldn’t be? Their 6 year old son had just been hospitalized for a traumatic head injury. Still, he had to be firm. “Unfortunately, we don’t allow people staying overnight.”

“Fine” Gabriel said. He handed the doctor his business card. “Call me at the first as soon as Adrien is able to talk with us, and not a moment later.”

The doctor accepted. “Very well.” The couple walked back down the hallway and out the door.

The next day, Gabriel was on the phone. “…I see…thank you very much…goodbye.” He hung up. He turned to Emilie. “Apparently, we have another student to thank as well. They alerted the teachers to the situation right away.”

Emilie sniffed. “Well that’s good to hear.”

Gabriel sat down across from her. “What do you think we should do?” he asked. “About Adrien going to back school?”

Emilie was concerned. “I…don’t know… I thought he would be alright, but now…”

“It’s alright” Gabriel said. “We don’t need to decide now. Just something to think about.”

“Thanks honey” Emilie said. “But right now, all I’m thinking of how Adrien looks in that hospital bed. He looks so innocent…”

Gabriel closed his eyes. He opened them again and said “He’s going to be just fine.”

“Yeah…” Emilie said.


	2. Adrien's Courage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said, these are short chapters, so I can get them out faster. I might even get chapter 3 out very soon as well. Mostly cause I feel like it.

“Run!” Adrien said. The student behind him stood silently. They then ran off.

“Well well, look who’s playing hero” said the boy opposite of Adrien. He had light brown hair, a green shirt, brown eyes, and grey pants.

“You shouldn’t bully people” Adrien said. “It’s not nice.”

“Oh yeah? And what are you going to do about it?” the other kid asked.

Adrien’s little fist tightened. “As long as I’m here, I won’t let you bully anyone!” he said with conviction.

The other boy looked at him. “I hate you!” he said.

The next thing Adrien can remember is waking up in a hospital bed. The doctor there took notice and said “Oh. You’re awake. How are you feeling?”

“How is she?” Adrien asked.

“Who?” the doctor asked.

“That girl that was getting bullied” Adrien clarified.

The doctor chuckled. “She’s fine,” he said. “I’d be more worried about you at the moment. You took quite a bump.”

“I did?” Adrien said.

“Yes. But thankfully, we got you here just in time” the doctor said. “Now, tell me, what is the last thing you remember?”

Adrien tried to think. “I remember the bully saying ‘I hate you!’” he said.

“I see” the doctor said. “Well, after that, he pushed you into the bars on the swing set.”

“Oh. Is that why my head feels funny?” Adrien asked.

“Yes” the doctor said.

“I see” Adrien said. “Can I see my parents? Or write a letter to that girl asking if she’s alright?”

The doctor smiled. “You can, but not right now. We need to run some tests to make sure you’re alright.”

“Tests? I haven’t studied yet” Adrien said.

The doctor chuckled. “Don’t worry. It’s not that kind of test.”

“Oh. OK. I still hope I pass” Adrien said.

“I hope you pass too,” the doctor said.

“I’m feeling sleepy” Adrien said.

“That’s quite alright” the doctor said. “You’ve had a big day.” Adrien fell asleep.

Adrien woke up in the present day in the middle of the night. “Woah. I…I had forgotten about all of that…”

“All of what?” Plagg asked.

“I remember when I was younger, I got hospitalized” Adrien explained.

“What happened?” Plagg inquired.

“It’s a bit fuzzy…” Adrien said. “But I remember I was sticking up to a bully. The next thing I know, the doctor was telling me that he had pushed me really hard.”

“I see” Plagg said. “Well, good for you for sticking up for yourself.”

Adrien smiled. “Actually I was sticking up for someone else.”

“I see” Plagg said. “Well, that just shows that you were always meant to be Cat Noir.”

“You’re right Plagg” Adrien said. “I’ll ask my father about this as soon as I can. I don’t remember much outside of that.”

“Completely understandable” Plagg said. “Head injuries will do that.”

“Good night Plagg” Adrien said. He went back to sleep.

“Good night kid” Plagg said.


	3. Rescuing and Being Rescued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Told ya it'd be very soon. I think that'll be it for chapters for today at least. These have been really short, so I might just crank one out later. But who knows.

“Knock it off George!” Marinette screamed.

“Or what? George said.

“Or…or…I’ll tell the teacher!” Marinette said.

“Oh, yeah? And what if I don’t let you?” George asked, cornering Marinette.

Marinette felt scared. She and George never got along. Their parents were competing bakers. Marinette wanted to get along with George, but George had no interest in “being friends with the enemy.”

This felt different though. Marinette had embarrassed George in front of the whole class. His father got caught ripping off someone else’s recipe and claiming it was his own. Marinette told everyone, and the rest of the students started talking. George got so angry he confronted Marinette alone.

“George, please!” Marinette said, trying to calm him down.

“No!” George said. “You made a fool of me in front of everyone! Now, it’s my turn!”

George walked closer. Marinette got really scared. Suddenly, a boy with blonde hair came between the two.”Run!” he said. Marinette didn’t know what was happening, but she complied with the boy’s order.

She ran into the school and confronted the first teacher she could find. “Miss, there’s this boy. He’s out there on his own against George. George is really mad. They’re out by the swing set. I don’t know what to do.”

The teacher knelt to Marinette’s level. “You did the right thing. Stay here” she said. She rushed outside. What she saw was terrifying. George’s face was completely pale, while Adrien was knocked down to the ground with a pool of blood surrounding him.

She looked around and saw someone walking by. “Call an ambulance!” She screamed at the passerby. Meanwhile she went inside and grabbed the first aid kit.

“Is he OK?” Marinette asked as the teacher passed by. The teacher didn’t know how to answer, and she needed to get back to Adrien ASAP. So she left little Marinette alone for the time being. She got back out and started assisting Adrien until the paramedics arrived.

Present day, Marinette woke up in the middle of the night. “Woah! I haven’t thought about that for a long time.”

“Thought about what?” Tikki asked.

“I was being bullied” Marinette said. “I was about six at the time. This kid George and I didn’t get along. Something happened that made him really mad and he was going to take it out on me.” Marinette sighed. Then a boy came in and saved me. I was still worried, so I contacted a teacher right away. I don’t know what exactly happened, but I heard the boy had to go to the hospital and couldn’t come back to school.”

Marinette clearly seemed worried. Tikki knew she had to say something. “Well Marinette, you did the right thing. It sounds like you had the knowhow to be Ladybug before you knew it.”

Marinette smiled. “Thanks Tikki.”

“So, what happened to George?” Tikki said.

“I think he moved to England with his mother and her parents” Marinette said. “I’m not sure. I might have to ask my parents about it tomorrow. I’m also curious as to what happened to that boy… Well, good night Tikki.” Marinette went back to sleep.

“Good night Marinette” Tikki responded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup. The girl he saved was Marinette. I think you could have seen that coming. I'm a sucker for that kind of thing.


	4. Echos

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Adrien-centric chapters seem to go beyond a page for me. Although I guess it makes sense. I just don't like it because it just leaves most of a page blank for me.

The next morning, Adrien entered Gabriel’s office. “What do you want?” Gabriel asked.

Adrien was nervous. He had no idea how his father would react. Still, he knew he had to ask. “Um, father… I remembered something last night…” he said.

“What was it?” Gabriel asked.

“…I remember being hospitalized…” Adrien said.

Gabriel looked at him curiously. “You mean you’ve forgotten?” he asked. He sighed. “Of course you did. It was a head injury after all. And it was a long time ago.” He took a seat. Adrien sat across from him.

“So, is that why you wouldn’t allow me to go to school?” Adrien asked.

Gabriel looked focused on something. “You have forgotten…”

“Forgotten what?” Adrien asked.

“The injury happened while you were at school,” Gabriel said.

“What? No, but you wouldn’t let me go to school” Adrien said.

Gabriel got intense. “Originally, we did allow you to go to school, but then that happened. Your mother and I decided to keep you home. Keep you safe. Admittedly, we may have went overboard with how long, but we were so worried.”

“I see…” Adrien said.

“To be honest, I was about to let you go out on your own,” Gabriel said. “But then your mother… I didn’t want to lose you too.”

“I can understand keeping me in for a little while, but I did want to go to school” Adrien said. His face turned sad. “And I would have liked to meet that girl I saved.”

Tears started leaking from Gabriel’s face. “You mean the girl who saved you,” he said.

Adrien noticed his father trying to ignore the tears. “Father…”

“She got the teacher’s attention and through the teacher’s efforts, you’re here,” Gabriel said. “You’re here…” Adrien walked up and gave his dad a hug. “I’m sorry. It was just a rough time.”

“I understand” Adrien said.

However, Adrien didn’t understand. He couldn’t. Not fully anyway. Back when Gabriel and Emilie could visit Adrien, they were extremely worried. “Adrien!” Emilie said.

“Hi mother!” Adrien said, a smile on his face.

“Are you OK?” Emilie said.

“I…I feel alright” Adrien said. “But the doctor says I need to stay here for a little while.”

“It’s for the best” Gabriel said.

“Still. I can’t wait to get out” Adrien said. “I would like to start school again. School is fun!”

Emilie and Gabriel exchanged a look. Gabriel sighed and said, “The thing is, your mother and I discussed it, and we think it would be best for you to be homeschooled. At least for a little while.”

“Oh” Adrien said. “That makes sense. But I can go back to school one day, right?”

“Perhaps” Gabriel said.

“Thank you father” Adrien said. “And when I get back to school, I’m going to meet the girl I saved.”

Gabriel was confused. “You mean the girl who saved you, right?”

“Huh?” Adrien asked.

“The girl you’re talking about” Gabriel said. “The teacher said she came to get her because you were in trouble. If it wasn’t for her, you’d…” he didn’t want to say it. “You’d feel less alright.”

“Oh” Adrien said. “Well, she was only able to because I stepped in to save her when she was getting bullied.”

“Oh, aren’t you brave?” Emilie said. Adrien smiled.

“Well, to me, that girl will always be the one who save you” Gabriel said.

“Well, I guess you can keep thinking that way” Adrien said. “But I’ll always think I saved her.”

Gabriel looked at his son sprawled across the hospital bed. “Of course you would” he said. “Tell me, are you listening to the doctors?”

“Of course” Adrien said.

“That’s my boy” Emilie said. “We don’t want you getting worse after all.”

“Right” Adrien said. “Um, how are you doing?”

Emilie and Gabriel were surprised by the question. They were barely holding it together since their son was hospitalized. However, Emilie turned to her son and said “We’re doing better knowing you’re going to be just fine.”

Adrien smiled and said “OK. Then I’ll try to get better for you.”

Emilie started to cry tears of joy. Gabriel mustered a “Atta boy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I've been reading other fan fiction recently, and one of the authors liked pointing out how Gabriel kept his son from going to school as a point of selfishness for him. While Gabriel might be selfish, Adrien did have two parents, and it's really weird that they would both keep him out without a good reason. Unless we're supposed to believe that Emilie is just as selfish, but in that case, Adrien's blinding optimism is only being outdone by his sheer naivete. It just wouldn't make sense. So, that's the basic thing I wanted to explain for myself. I'm going to explain a few other things as well now that I'm thinking about them, but that's for another time.


	5. Marinette's Determination

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is so far the longest chapter by a significant amount. Originally, it was supposed to be broken up into two chapters, but Marinette and her parents at breakfast didn't feel long enough, so I added the visit in there as well.

Marinette was listless at breakfast the next morning. Her mind was stuck on that memory she had forgotten until now. “Marinette, what’s wrong? You don’t usually play with you food like that” Sabine said.

Marinette was poking her pancakes with her fork. “Sorry mom” she said. “I’m just thinking about something.”

“What is it?” her mom asked.

“Well, it’s just…” Marinette sighed. “I don’t know why, but I remembered something recently. I remembered being bullied by this kid, George, and the other kid saved me. But he had to go to the hospital…”

Sabine was shocked. It had been a while since she thought of that as well. “Well, what brought this up?” she asked.

“I don’t know” Marinette replied. “I just remembered it.”

“Well, from what I remember the kid was fine in the end” Sabine said.

“That’s good” Marinette said. “It’s just weird, right? I mean, this kid saved me, and I had forgotten about him until just now. I feel… I don’t know how I feel.”

“Honey, I need a little help in the bakery,” Tom said.

“In a minute, dear. Marinette’s going through something” Sabine said.

“Oh, what’s wrong?” Tom said.

“Well, Marinette is just remembering the incident where a kid went to the hospital when she was 6” Sabine said. “She’s feeling conflicted about the whole ordeal.”

“Wow. That was a while a go” Tom said. “Marinette, you have nothing to be upset about. You’re both OK.”

“I know…” Marinette said. “But I would like to see him again. You know, to give him a proper thank you.”

Tom and Sabine looked at each other. “I guess you were a little too young to remember” Sabine said.

“What?” Marinette asked.

“You did thank him,” Tom said.

“How?” Marinette asked.

Sabine said “Well…”

A few days after the incident, Marinette returned to school. She pulled aside her teacher and asked “Teacher, is that boy is going to be alright?”

The teacher looked at her and said, “From what I heard, he’ll be just fine.” Marinette sighed. “But he isn’t going to return to school.”

“Well, he has to stay in the hospital right?” Marinette asked.

“I mean after he gets out” the teacher said. “His parents decided to take him out of school. At least for a little while. Sorry.”

Marinette was shock. _This won’t do at all. How can I thank him if he’s not here? Wait. I know. If he’s not coming here, I’ll just go to him!_ So, young Marinette took it upon herself to walk to the hospital after school. She made sure to be careful.

Eventually, she entered the hospital. She walked up to the desk and said “Excuse me. I’m looking for a boy about my age. He came in with a head injury. He’s in my class.”

“Oh, aren’t you just precious” the receptionist said. He looked around. “Um, where are your parents?”

This question put the precocious Marinette in a bind. She didn’t want to lie, but if she said she walked here by herself he might not let her see him. “Um, they’re out parking! They dropped me off at the front door.”

“I see” the receptionist said. “Well, you can go see him now. He’s in room 204. Do you know what that looks like?”

“Yes” Marinette said. “Thank you.” She walked off and made her way to room 204. She knocked on the door.

“Come in” Adrien said.

Marinette opened the door and got up on one of the chairs. “Hi there.”

Adrien was surprised. “You’re the girl I saved.”

“Yeah…” Marinette said. “I just wanted to come by and give my thanks.” She paused. “Thank you for saving me.”

Adrien smiled. “Don’t mention it.”

“What made you save me?” Marinette asked. “We hardly know each other.”

“You looked scared” Adrien said. “I hate being scared. I figured you did too. So I decided to make you not scared anymore.”

Marinette smiled at the thought. “Thanks.”

“So, what made you help me?” Adrien asked. Marinette got confused. “I was told that you were the one who got the teacher.”

“Oh, right” Marinette said. “I was worried about you. George seemed really mad. I thought he might hurt you. So I got the teacher to try and prevent that. I didn’t think that this would happen…” Marinette got worried.

Adrien smiled. “Don’t blame yourself. You did the right thing.”

“Yeah, but you got hurt because of me!” Marinette said.

“If I didn’t step in, you could have gotten hurt” Adrien said. “And I don’t know who would have gotten the teacher. You’re really brave, and really smart. You have the right ideas at the right time.”

Marinette blushed. “Thanks.”

“What’s your name?” Adrien asked.

Before Marinette could answer, the door flung open. A man in a white trench coat with red stripes on the edges and a white fedora with red edges was standing there. He saw Marinette and picked her up. The man ran incredibly fast. To Marinette, it felt faster than humanly possible. The strange man dropped Marinette off in front of the bakery. She was amazed. She wanted to ask questions of this stranger, but when she turned around, he was gone.

She entered, and Tom saw her, and came up, and gave her a hug. “Marinette, we were so worried when you didn’t come home.”

“Sorry daddy” Marinette said.

“Honey! She’s here!” Tom called.

Sabine came down and hugged her child. “Where were you?” she asked.

Marinette got nervous. “I went to the hospital to visit that boy” she said. Her parents were shocked. “I’m sorry..”

“Marinette, you don’t need to apologize,” Tom said. “But from now on, you need to tell us these things.”

“Your father’s right” Sabine said. “We can go visit him tomorrow as a family if you want.”

“Really?!” Marinette said.

“Of course,” Tom said.

Unfortunately, fate had other ideas. The next day, they went to the hospital. “Oh, sorry” the receptionist said. “He got discharged this morning.”

“I see” Sabine said. “Well, could you tell us where he lives?”

“Unfortunately, I am not at liberty to divulge that information” the receptionist said. Even if it was ethical to do so, he didn’t want to be on the business end of that boy’s father’s stare for a bad reason.

“I see. Thank you anyway” Sabine said.

They started walking out when Marinette asked “Where is he?”

“He went home,” Tom said.

“Oh” Marinette said. She walked sadly to the car and stayed silent for the trip back. She got up to her room and just moped for the rest of the day.

“I see…” Marinette said, back in the present. “Why did I forget all of that?”

“It’s just what happens” Sabine said. “We don’t always remember everything.”

“I know, but this felt important” Marinette said.

“Well, you remembered it now,” Tom said. “That’s the important thing.”

Marinette smiled. “You’re right. Thanks dad. I feel better.” She started to eat her breakfast.

Tom and Sabine headed to the bakery. “Should we tell her the truth about that man that brought her back?” Tom asked.

Sabine looked at him concerned. “I don’t know. I promised I wouldn’t…”

“That’s fine,” Tom said. “Now, give me a hand. We’ve got a big order to fill.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might just finish this all up before continuing with "Are They Worthy?" These chapters aren't long like those ones, and I only have a few chapters left. It'll probably be 9-10 chapters, depending. Some chapter might get longer than the previous ones have gotten. I think that'll happen with the next chapter where we learn the origin of that mysterious man, and a whole lot more! Seeya then!


	6. One Little Slip

Emilie was at her vanity. Her son was just about to be released from the hospital, but she was still upset that it had ever happened in the first place. Her husband also felt anguish, as every morning since the incident he yelled into the bathroom mirror. He thought she couldn’t hear it, but she could. She didn’t say anything because they both needed to vent their displeasure at the situation.

While Gabriel was yelling into the mirror, Emilie tried to remain composed while applying her makeup. However, she made a mistake and that caused her to freeze completely. She thought to herself _How can I take care of my child if I can’t even apply makeup right?_ She slammed down on the vanity and let the tears flow out.

As it just so happens, one of the drawers opened on the vanity. Emilie looked into it and found a mysterious box. She remembers finding it alongside another box and a strange book on an expedition she embarked on with one of her friends a little while ago.

She didn’t know why, but she felt like she needed to open it. Once she did, she saw a beautiful broach in the shape of peacock feathers. Suddenly, a mysterious creature formed above the box. “Who are you?” Emilie asked.

“My name is Duusu” she said. “I am a kwami.”

“My name is Emilie. What is a kwami?” she asked.

“A kwami is a magical being that can grant people powers” Duusu explained.

“Powers? Like what?” Emilie asked further.

“Well, I have the power of emotion” Duusu explained. “I can create creatures from a person’s emotions that can help them.”

“I see” Emilie said. Emilie thought about this idea. _If Adrien had powers he wouldn’t have gotten hurt like he did. Adrien is lucky that someone came to help. What if no one did? What if someone gets really hurt or worse?_ She put the broach on.

“I would advise against that” Duusu said.

“Why is that?” Emilie said.

Duusu looked concerned. “Because the peacock miraculous is damaged,” she said. “It could hurt you.”

“How so?” Emilie asked.

“Well, I don’t know” Duusu said. “I’ve never encountered a situation where the miraculous wasn’t immediately fixed.”

“I see” Emilie said. Still, she felt determined. “Well, I don’t need to use it all the time. I can use it for emergency situations! How’s that?”

Duusu looked confused. “I guess that would work…”

“Great!” Emilie said. “So, um, how do I activate these powers?”

“You just say ‘Duusu! Spread My Feathers!’”

“Duussu! Spread My Feathers!” Emilie said. She transformed into a hero who had a blue evening gown that had one shoulder strap, a blue domino mask, blue pumps, a feather boa, and a fan. “Woah!” She left a note for Gabriel saying she needed some fresh air.

In reality, she went about town, embracing her new heroic identity. She felt free. Strong. Able to take on the world. However, as a hero, she knew she had to help people and not indulge herself.

She felt a strong sense of dread coming from a bakery she had passed. She got a look inside and saw two parents clearly worried. The husband left the room while the wife sat on her bed.

She felt now was a good time to test out her powers. She plucked a feather from her fan, infused it with power, and let it float to the wife’s wedding ring. Once it got there, she greeted her with a “Hello.”

The wife was surprised. “Who are you? Where are you?” she said.

“Do not worry. I am on your side. My name is Madame Peacock, and I wish to help you” she said.

The wife was confused. “Help me how?”

“I sensed a deeply troubling emotion” Madame Peacock said. “You are clearly in distress. Might I ask why?”

The wife was still confused, but she answered. “My daughter is missing.”

“I see” Madame Peacock. “If you will allow me, I can turn your distress into an entity that can find her.”

“Yes please! I’ll do anything!” the wife said.

“Very well” Madame Peacock said.

A figure formed out of a blue-ish aura that came out of the wife’s ring. It had the appearance of a man wearing a white trench coat with red lines on the edges and a white fedora with red edges as well. “This is Tracker” Madame Peacock said. “He can find anything, so long as he knows what he’s looking for.”

Tracker bowed to the wife. He then stood there. “What is he waiting for?” the wife asked.

“He needs to know what to look for” Madame Peacock said.

“Oh, I see” the wife said. She looked around her room and grabbed some things. She showed him a picture and a stuffed rabbit. “This is what she looks like and this is her favorite toy.”

Tracker examined the items and then saluted her. He left out the window. 15 minutes later he returned. “Let’s hope this is good” Madame Peacock said.

“Honey! She’s here!” the husband called out.

The wife smiled. “Thank you, Tracker.” She left to greet her daughter.

She returned later with her husband to see that Tracker was still there. Needless to say, he was confused. “Who is this?”

The wife was embarrassed. “This is Tracker. He’s the one who brought Marinette home.”

“I see?” the husband said.

“I don’t know why he is still here,” the wife said.

“I needed to talk with you some more” Madame Peacock said.

“Oh” the wife said.

“What’s going on?” the husband asked.

“You can tell him” Madame Peacock .

“I’m speaking telepathically with a hero named Madame Peacock” the wife explained. “She’s the one who made tracker.” Tracker waived.

“Huh” the husband said.

“What did you need to talk about?” the wife asked.

“I need you to keep my presses a secret” Madame Peacock said. “Who knows what will happen if there is a public hero in the streets of Paris. To keep everyone safe, I need you to promise me that.”

“I see” the wife said. “You have my word.”

“Thank you. And I’m glad your daughter is home safe” Madame Peacock said. She snapped to recall the amok and Tracker faded from existence.

Once Madame Peacock got home, she transformed back into Emilie. “See? Wasn’t that great?” she told Duusu. “We helped someone and I finally feel good since the incident happened.”

“What incident?” Duusu asked.

“Oh right. You wouldn’t know” Emilie said. “My son was recently hospitalized.”

“I see…” Duusu said. “Well, for your first time, you did good. You maintained a low profile and explained the risk. As long as you aren’t doing this too often, and you’re doing stuff like this, I think you’ll be fine.”

Emilie raised her hand. “I swear I will use if for emergencies only.” She smiled. Duusu smiled back at her.

Emilie had kept her promise of using it for emergencies only, but Duusu didn’t know how the damaged miraculous would affect its user. One too many emergencies later, Emilie had passed out on the streets of Paris. A man, lurking in the shadows found her and carried her off. “Why didn’t you say anything?” he asked.

In the present, Gabriel was in his underground garden staring at his wife. “It’s been a while since I found you” he said. “I wish you would wake up. Adrien needs you. I need you.” Gabriel smiled. “You know, Adrien started remembering the time he went to the hospital. It’s funny. If he never got hurt you wouldn’t have used the peacock miraculous and I would not be in the position I’m in.” he sighed. ”I will bring you back. I promise you that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this might be the most canon divergent part of the story. If you're readying my other story, you'll know I'm not fully caught up on ML. I am unsure of the specific circumstances of Emilie's disappearance, but I guess this is what this chapter is for. I'm not 100% sure she got ill just from using it one time. She had to use it multiple times, right? That's my thinking anyway. Also, my headcanon for why Wayzz didn't sense this is because of the damage miraculous, the signal that Wayzz gets was weakened so he was out of reach the entire time.


	7. A Chance at Forgiveness

After school, Marinette’s mind was on the incident she had remembered the night before. She wanted to find out who this boy was. She had a clearer picture from the story her parents told. The boy had blonde hair, and a nice smile. It was hazy, but it was all she had to work with. A lot could have changed since then though, and she got frustrated. “GAH!”

“Marinette, relax” Tikki said. “It’s going to be alright.”

“I know Tikki, but…” Marinette drifted.

Tikki looked at her chosen. “You want to find that boy. I get it. But you have to calm down. I’m sure you’ll find him eventually, but right now, you need to relax. You can’t get anywhere if you’re stressed out.”

Marinette smiled. “You’re right Tikki. I always do this. I overthink things to the point of making them difficult for myself. I just need to clear my head and think of a better idea. I mean, it’s not like the answer’s going to be given to me just like that.”

“Marinette! There’s a young man who wants to see you!” Sabine called.

“Coming” Marinette said. Tikki hid and Marinette went downstairs. Marinette was surprised to see a boy about her age in a light green shirt and jeans, with light brown hair. “George?”

“So, you do remember?” he said sourly. “Of course.”

“What are you doing here?” Marinette asked. “It’s been so long. I almost forgot about you.”

George sighed. “Of course. Just my luck.” He sighed again. “Look, I came here to apologize.”

“Apologize?” Marinette said. “But why now? Why not then?”

“Well, before I could fully process what had happened, I was already in England” George explained. “I didn’t know how to contact either of you. So these feelings of guilt just stuck with me all this time.”

Marinette could see the sadness in his eyes. Marinette thought she had a difficult time, only remembering this even recently. Looking at George, she realized she had the luxury of forgetting the event. “What are you doing here, anyway?”

“My family came here on vacation” Geroge explained. “I’ll be in town for a few days.” He looked at his hands. “I didn’t think before I acted, and I did something really bad. After it happened, I didn’t feel like I won. I felt scared. Alone. I hated it.” He looked back at Marinette. “I’m sorry I acted the way I did back then. I’m sorry about pushing that kid who only tried to defend you. I’m sorry about everything.”

Marinette looked at George in a new light. She hadn’t thought seriously about him in such a long time. He was nothing to her, and yet she and this other boy were everything to him in all of the wrong ways. She smiled and said “I forgive you. We all make mistakes. I’m sorry you had to go through all of that.”

George smiled back. “That’s OK. I kind of deserved it. I did send someone to the hospital after all.”

“Um, I was wondering” Marinette said. “My memory’s a little fuzzy. Do you remember the boy you pushed? I can only sort of recall what he looked like.”

George started laughing. “Trust me, I couldn’t forget even if I wanted to. This city is almost making me remember him. His image is all over the city. His name was Adrien. I don’t recall his last name.”

Marinette was shocked. “Adrien Agreste?”

“Yeah, that’s it,” George said. “How do you know him?”

“I… go to school with him” Marinette said.

“He’s back in school? Good for him” George said.

“Yeah” Marinette blushed. “Um, if you want to apologize to him too, I can set that up maybe…”

“Really?” George said. He hugged her. A tear fell down his cheek. “I don’t deserve this kindness.”

Marinette smiled and hugged him back. “Everyone deserves this kindness.”

Marinette and George exchanged information and George bought some stuff from the bakery. “Thanks again, Marinette” George said. “I’ll be in town for a few days.”

“Got it. I’ll figure it out” Marinette said. George left and Marinette went back upstairs. “Can you believe it Tikki?”

“Yeah. Who knew that the boy who saved you all those years ago was Adrien?” Tikki said.

“I’ve gotta talk to him” Marinette said. She got out her phone. She sent him a text saying “Hey, I need to talk to you in person about something. Tomorrow after school?”

It was a few minutes before Adrien responded. “Sure. See you then” he said. Marinette blushed.

“Oooooo. Someone’s got an admirer” Plagg said.

“You don’t think that’s what it is, do you?” Adrien said, nervously.

Plagg saw this and decided to pounce. “Do you want it to be?” he asked.

“Well… I don’t know” Adrien said. “I mean, Marinette’s great, but I’m in love with Ladybug.”

“Well, if this is what it turns out to be, I’d say go for Marinette” Plagg said. “It’s obvious you care for her a lot. Ladybug has rejected you time and time again. Maybe you just need to move on.”

Adrien smiled. “I’ll think about it. In the meantime, what do you think about the idea I suggested?”

Plagg looked at his chosen. “I think it’s a good idea, and I’m sure Ladybug will be all for it.”

“Thanks Plagg” Adrien said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually think I can end this next chapter. I reorganized my thoughts and decided to change the order of the events so that they would make more sense. Anyway, see you next time for what I think will be the last chapter.


	8. Fate is a Funny Thing

Of course. Why wouldn’t Hawk Moth akumatize someone today? It’s not like Marinette had something super important to tell Adrien or anything. Oh wait. It was like that. Just as Marinette was about to explain to Adrien about the incident she just remembered that involved the both of them, as well as a boy who was genuinely frightened and sorry about the whole thing, an akuma began attacking. Needless to say, she had to jump into action as Ladybug.

The fight itself went relatively smoothly. It’s still a supervillain, but it could have been worse. Once they were deakumatized, the victim explained that they were getting bullied and they were frightened. One of his teachers came and took him back to school. Ladybug and Cat Noir explained what had happened and the teacher promised he’d look into it.

Before Ladybug could go, Cat Noir grabbed her hand and said “Wait. Ladybug, I need to talk to you about something.”

Ladybug didn’t feel like talking about Cat Noir’s feelings for her right now. She said “Look, Cat Noir, I-”

“I’m not going to ask you out” Cat Noir said. “I have a good idea and I want you to hear it through. Please.”

Ladybug saw Cat Noir’s genuine emotion. Her earrings beeped. “OK. Give me a few minutes. I’ll meet you back here.”

“Great! Can’t wait” Cat Noir said. Ladybug left. “Claws In!” He transformed back into Adrien.

“What are you doing?” Plagg asked.

Adrien handed Plagg some cheese. “I’m going to let Marinette know I’m going to be a little late getting back to meeting her.” He took out his phone.

Ladybug found a place to hide. She transformed back into Marinette and handed Tikki a macaroon. “OK. Now to text Adrien to say I’m going to be a little late” she said. When she got out her phone, she saw Adrien had already texted her saying he was going to be late. She smiled and texted back “That’s OK. Something came up for me as well. See you soon.”

Ladybug met Cat Noir back on the roof they were at. “Alright kitty, let’s hear your idea,” she said.

“OK. So, my idea is that we become the faces of an anti-bullying campaign!” Cat Noir said.

“OK…” Ladybug said. “But, how are we going to get it off the ground? Do you have any ideas?”

“Yes!” Cat Noir said excitedly. “I figured we could get Nadja’s help to get things started. I have some ideas for posters or maybe even a commercial.”

“That, actually sounds really great!” Ladybug said. “So, what brought all of this up? Did you just think of it now after our latest villain?”

“Well, he certainly helped” Cat Noir said. “But I’ve been thinking about it since yesterday actually. See, when I was young, I was hospitalized by someone.”

“Oh no!” Ladybug said. “Were they bullying you?”

“Not quite” Cat Noir said. “They were bullying someone else. I ran in to save them. The next thing I know, I’m in the hospital. The doctors said I got pushed into a swingset. Luckily, that girl I saved found a teacher who found me right away. So, not only would it help prevent people like that kid from getting akumatized by Hawk Moth, but it is just the right thing to do.” Ladybug was froze. “M’lady?”

Ladybug slammed her fists against the wall and started crying. “No” she said.

“Oh. I really thought you would like the idea” Cat Noir said. “I guess not.”

Cat Noir was just about to leave when Ladybug called out “Wait!” Cat Noir stayed. “It’s not that.” She dropped her fists to her side and sighed. “It’s just… I know who you are now.”

“What? How?” Cat Noir asked.

Ladybug smiled, tears still rolling down her cheeks. She started to laugh. “Who do you think you saved?”

Cat Noir’s mouth hung agape. “No way…”

“Yup!” Ladybug said. “The funny thing is, if you had told me this a few days ago, I wouldn’t have figured it out. I only just remembered.”

“Me too, actually” Cat Noir said.

“Also, that kid who pushed you? He actually came by my house to apologize” Ladybug said. “He told me your name, since I never really learned it.”

“Oh” Cat Noir said.

“Actually, he wants to apologize to you as well” Ladybug said.

“OK. I can do that” Cat Noir said. “First, I need to tell my friend that I need to postpone our meeting a little further. You don’t mind me transforming in front of you know that you know who I am, right?”

Ladybug smiled. “You don’t need to do that,” she said. Cat Noir was confused. “Tikki! Spots off!” she transformed back into Marinette. Cat Noir was stunned. “Well Adrien, am I the only one who’s going to transform?”

Cat Noir smiled. “Plagg! Claws in!” he transformed into Adrien. He fell to the ground on his butt. “I can’t believe this.”

“Well, you better, because it’s the truth” Plagg said.

“I’ve been in love with Marinette this whole time?” Adrien said.

“Come here kitty” Marinette said, reaching her hand out. Adrien grabbed her hand and she lifted him up.

“So, how did you know it was me?” Adrien said. “I mean, I gave a lot of information in that story, but don’t you think that that could have been anyone else?”

“Well… Tikki is always telling me to trust my instincts” Marinette said. “When I heard that story, I just knew…”

“Marinette, you did the right thing” Tikki said.

“Yeah” Marinette said.”Wanna know something really funny?” Adrien nodded. “You know that other guy I like?”

“Yeah…” Adrien said.

“That was you” Marinette said.

Adrien was shocked once more. “Really?”

“Yeah…” Marinette said, blushing.

Adrien walked up to Marinette. “So, you don’t mind if I do this?” He picked up her hand and gave it a kiss.

Marinette’s face was beet red. Still, she said, “You can do a little more than that.” She pulled his head in closer and gave him a kiss on the lips. And then another And another. Soon, they were making out on the roof.

After a vigorous makeout session, they composed themselves. “Well, we should probably talk to George” Marinette said.

“George?” Adrien asked.

“He’s the kid who pushed you” Marinette explained.

“Ah” said Adrien. “Well the, shall we?”

They left the roof and Marinette contacted George. The three met with each other and George apologized profusely. Adrien accepted the apology right away. “Thank you so much,” he said, giving Adrien a hug. “I don’t know what I did to deserve this kind of forgiveness.”

Adrien hugged him back. “You apologized. That’s all you needed.”

George let go from the hug. “I just feel so lucky in this moment. I’m lucky that Marinette knows you now so I can apologize to the both of you. I’m glad you two are friends.”

“Actually…” Marintte said, locking hands with Adrien, “We’re dating now.”

George was confused. “When did this start?” he asked.

“Just today” Adrien said. “Marinette explained what had happened, and because of that and a few other things, we realized we were in love with each other.”

“That…is…WONDERFUL!” George said. “I am SO happy for you. There has to be a higher power, because this is nothing short of divine intervention. I mean, the most harrowing moment in my life eventually turning into this really sweet moment that I could never imagine? It’s amazing.”

Adrien looked at Marinette. “I feel the same way.”

“Well, I should get going,” George said. “I only have so much time here.”

“Um, I can give Adrien your contact information, right?” Marinette asked.

“Of course! I want to keep in touch” George said. He walked off.

Marinette and Adrien looked into each other’s eyes. They knew that they could face whatever happens in the future because they had each other. They’ve saved each other time and time again. They knew that they could do that for all eternity. They shared another kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it. Thanks for indulging me on this little mini-series. I'll get back to "Are They Worthy?" soon. I didn't have anything beyond Marinette and Adrien getting together because that wasn't the purpose of the story. The purpose was to explain a few things that didn't quite make sense to me while also making an interesting story, and I think I did a pretty good job at that. I am a sucker for this kind of thing, so that's another reason I did it. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it.

**Author's Note:**

> Maybe this is me being paranoid, but I have a feeling that you might see the direction this story is going in. I mean, there are certain things that need to happen, obviously. If you do, I hope you still enjoy it.


End file.
